Current:Home > MarketsVisitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site -Capitatum
Visitors are seen on camera damaging rock formations at a Nevada recreation site
PredictIQ View
Date:2025-04-06 01:26:29
LAS VEGAS (AP) — Federal authorities are asking for the public’s help in tracking down two men seen damaging rock formations at a national recreation site in Nevada.
Officials at Lake Mead National Recreation Area said the damage happened during a recent weekend near the Redstone Dune Trail on the north side of the lake. The petrified red dunes found there make it one of the most popular hiking spots in the park.
A video shows two men shoving chunks of sandstone off the edge of an outcropping as a girl screams. Park officials called the behavior appalling, saying the damage can’t be fixed.
“It’s one of my favorite places in the park and they’re up there just destroying it. I don’t understand that,” John Haynes, public information officer at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, told television station KVVU.
Destruction like this at federally protected sites can result in felony charges that come along with potential fines and jail time, Haynes said.
Spanning 2,344 square miles (6,071 square kilometers) of mountains and desert canyons, the Lake Mead National Recreation Area just outside of Las Vegas draws around 6 million visitors every year. Officials said staffing levels mean park officials often rely on the public to also keep watch over resources within park boundaries.
Authorities said visitors can use their cellphones to capture any video or photos of suspicious activity if it’s safe to do so and to collect any information, such as a license plate, that might help to identify offenders. The National Park Service operates a tipline that receives thousands of submissions each year.
“It’s really important to let us know,” Haynes said.
There also have been others cases of vandalism on federal land across the West over the past decade, with visitors defacing petroglyphs, toppling rock features and pounding climbing bolts into centuries-old rock art.
veryGood! (486)
Related
- San Francisco names street for Associated Press photographer who captured the iconic Iwo Jima photo
- Transcript: Cindy McCain on Face the Nation, June 25, 2023
- New York AG: Exxon Climate Fraud Investigation Nearing End
- Video: Dreamer who Conceived of the Largest Arctic Science Expedition in History Now Racing to Save it
- Appeals court scraps Nasdaq boardroom diversity rules in latest DEI setback
- Russia's ruble drops to 14-month low after rebellion challenges Putin's leadership
- Arrested in West Virginia: A First-Person Account
- The Parched West is Heading Into a Global Warming-Fueled Megadrought That Could Last for Centuries
- Juan Soto to be introduced by Mets at Citi Field after striking record $765 million, 15
- The Largest Arctic Science Expedition in History Finds Itself on Increasingly Thin Ice
Ranking
- Most popular books of the week: See what topped USA TODAY's bestselling books list
- Beyoncé’s Rare Message to “Sweet Angel” Daughter Blue Ivy Will Warm Your Soul
- Skull found by California hunter in 1991 identified through DNA as remains of missing 4-year-old Derrick Burton
- Megan Thee Stallion and Soccer Star Romelu Lukaku Spark Romance Rumors With Sweetest PDA
- EU countries double down on a halt to Syrian asylum claims but will not yet send people back
- Olivia Holt Shares the Products She Uses To Do Her Hair and Makeup on Broadway Including This $7 Pick
- An old drug offers a new way to stop STIs
- Coast Guard launches investigation into Titan sub implosion
Recommendation
Toyota to invest $922 million to build a new paint facility at its Kentucky complex
For Emergency Personnel, Disaster Planning Must Now Factor in Covid-19
Orlando Bloom's Shirtless Style Leaves Katy Perry Walking on Air
The Parched West is Heading Into a Global Warming-Fueled Megadrought That Could Last for Centuries
Finally, good retirement news! Southwest pilots' plan is a bright spot, experts say
Man, teenage stepson dead after hiking in extreme heat through Texas's Big Bend National Park
Nordstrom Rack Has Jaw-Dropping Madewell Deals— The 83% Off Sale Ends Today
Halting Ukrainian grain exports risks starvation and famine, warns Cindy McCain, World Food Programme head